2016 was a year filled with many personal ups and downs. Plans were made, some were successful, some were not, some were a mix. Here's what went down:

I got into the 2016 NYC Marathon via the lottery system on my second try. This changed everything for the year, including plans to get a second tattoo. I was extremely excited for this, as this was my first marathon, and it would be in the city I grew up loving. Unfortunately, with everything good that happens, something is bound to go wrong. The long story, shortened, is that I wound up missing 9 weeks total due to a strained calf that evolved into extensor tendonitis. I was in a boot until 1 week prior to the marathon, and the sports doc said I could do it if I wanted, but I may wind up in more pain. "Be Smart" was his advice. While maybe not the smartest decision, I did the marathon. I ran/walked the first 11.5-12 miles, and the rest was a stroll through the boroughs of NYC. I crossed the finish line under my own power, even being passed by the sag-wagon, but I did it. Instead of "never again", I've put off my next attempt until 2018.

In less athletic activities, I set some goals that got sidelined, but not necessarily for bad reasons.

I set a goal to read 24 books this year. I fell short by 3 books (just finished #21 on 2016-12-30), but not for lack of trying. Probably the most interesting book I've read in a long time, "Alan Turing: The Engima", took me almost two months to read. There was so much detail that gave a huge insight into the life of this amazing man, whose life was taken too early by a world that took certain lifestyles as being offensive, and the punishments for those lifestyles to the extreme.

Then there was just some generic stuff...

I built my first patio for my grill. May not be the prettiest job, but I did all the manual labor myself, and it hasn't fallen apart :)

I've repaired my 28.5 year-old bicycle finally and started re-learning how to ride a shifting bike again

I've discovered more new recipes and have gotten better with the pressure cooker. I'll post some of them as time goes on.

So, what does 2017 hold in store? To put it simply, I'm setting very simple goals - some quantifiable, others to be judged success or failure via qualitative analysis. What are they?

* Physical Fitness

Get back to better physical condition - Finding my mojo and getting back on to a regular workout regime are step one

Don't look at the scale - Judge my progress in terms of improved health and feeling

Improve my swimming and biking - speaks for itself

* Mental Fitness

My family is the most important thing to me, and I need to be the best me possible. I'm not just working on this for myself, but for them.

Time to really work on improving my self-confidence, my self-awareness, and the actions/attitudes that affect me and those around me

2016 may not have been perfect for everyone, but all that can be done is working on change to make the next year (and the future) better for yourself and those who depend on it.